


The Grass is Greener

by Beedok



Category: Ranma 1/2, きまぐれオレンジ☆ロード | Kimagure Orange Road (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Lookalikes, Mind Swap, Multi, so 80s
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-14
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2019-11-18 00:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18109469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beedok/pseuds/Beedok
Summary: Ranma’s life is a mess with too many romantic options. Kyousuke’s life is a mess with too many romantic options. Maybe it’s the face? Either way, a chance collision will let them see if the other’s life is more thee speed. Unfortunately, one of them has no idea what’s going on.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m using my own mix of anime and manga canon for both series.

**Prologue:**

 

It was chaos in the lunchroom, as it always was. Kasuga Kyousuke, age 15, found himself watching, wondering why anyone would bother entering that skirmish. He also wondered why on earth the school didn’t just have a bigger lunchroom with more food. Did the senior high school and college part of the academy just have first pick on the lunch budget?

 

Kyousuke’s vague musings on the hierarchy of the subsets of the laddered academy was interrupted by the sight of a guy in a blue-ish gakuran emerging from the scrum, laughing happily as he held onto three tonkatsu sandwiches. Suddenly the strange boy, who, on second glance, had some rather fierce looking fangs, turned and glared at Kyousuke.

 

“Hah! Take that Ranma! You didn’t steal my lunch this time!” the stranger declared, marching over to show off his haul of sandwiches.

 

“What? Who’s Ranma?” Kyousuke asked, looking around to see if anyone else could fill him in. No one else was paying any attention to the conversation, all so focused on acquiring their own lunches.

 

“Pheh,” the stranger declared, between mouthfuls of pork and bread, “If you think cutting your hair means I won’t recognise you, then I’m insulted. I can see through your lame little disguise!”

 

Kyousuke opened his mouth, trying to figure out a reply, when he was cut off by his usual lunch companion.

 

“Darling!” Hikaru shouted, as she emerged from around a corner to pounce Kyousuke and nearly knocked him from his feet. Still clinging to him, she held up a large boxed lunch to show off her handiwork. “I made an extra tasty lunch today! C’mon, let’s-wait, who’s this guy, and why is he staring at you, sempai?”

 

Kyousuke was too focused on remaining upright despite the weight of the bubbly girl latched to him to give a reply (he’d use the Power, but wasn’t sure if Hikaru would be able to feel the telekinetic support). The other boy, however, wore a strong look of confusion.

 

“A girl, but...but,” looking around, Ryoga realised there were several girls in the area. And the boys were wearing black, rather than blue, gakurans. “Darn it! I’m at the wrong school again! I, uh, I’ve gotta go!”

 

As Ryoga ran off, he held a slightly odd pace due to his desire to eat the sandwiches he was carrying as he went.

 

“Well, that was different,” Kyousuke muttered as Hikaru finally lept off him, allowing him to breath and think properly.

 

**Part 1**

 

Kyousuke’s life was finished at age 17, he was sure of it. After getting a little turned about and accidentally teleporting into the girls’ shower room yesterday (the school really wasn’t designed for teleporting) there was no way Ayukawa was going to forgive him. Seeing her naked like that... He still ached severely from the beating he’d gotten from all the girls. 

 

Maybe his best choice was just to run away, and try starting again somewhere no one knew him. He’d have to drop out of school for a bit, but he did have a bit of experience working in a restaurant, so he wasn’t totally unemployable. But how far would be have to go? Maybe leaving Honshu altogether would be best, just to be safe... Or should he just try his most pathetic apology? Claim momentary insanity, and hope Ayukawa believed him?

 

These two options were what was warring in his head the last 3 hours as he’d wandered aimlessly through the streets of Tokyo, too lost in a cloud of indecision to notice when he crossed the border from Setagaya to Suginami.

 

* * *

 

“Gah!” Ranma yelped, as they dodged another knife from Mousse.

 

This had to be a new record, Ranma thought to themself as they leapt across another alleyway. Nearly an hour, and Mousse had kept his glasses on the whole time. Hopping across a small city street, the handsome pigtailed boy wondered how long Mousse would keep this up. Maybe they could try making it to Yokohama? Or try heading for the mountains? Fighting in the forests was always more fun than in cities (less need to worry about bystanders and property damage).

 

“What’s this even about anyway, Duckie?” Ranma asked while bouncing along some telephone poles.

 

“What’s this about? What’s this about!? You kissed her!” Mousse bellowed, tossing an exploding rubber chicken at the pole Ranma had been standing on.

 

“I ain’t kissed Shampoo!” Ranma replied, leaping down onto the roof of a nearby home.

 

“Yes you did! In the Nekoken yesterday! I saw with my own eyes!”

 

Ranma rolled their eyes, while still bounding along. “You really still trust those things?”

 

“Shampoo confirmed it!”

 

“Wah!” Ranma yelped, dodging a volley of daggers. “I asked Nabiki what I got up ta, she told me I never kissed anybody yesterday.”

 

“You bumped your head against her! Shampoo told me that’s how cats kiss!” Mousse shouted, growing more irate.

 

“It ain’t the same! It’s more like a French kiss-woah!” Ranma yelped, as some tiles they were standing on came loose.

 

“A FRENCH KISS!?” Mousse shouted, his voice reaching a new level of furious Ranma had never heard before as he began tossing everything in his arsenal at the pigtailed boy.

 

“A French kiss on the cheek! Y’know, like they do with friends? Real casual! Not a  _ French Kiss  _ French kiss!” Ranma shouted, dodging dozens of spiked chains, daggers, and unidentifiable objects. (They were fairly certain at least one of those items was one of Akane’s cookies.)

 

Hoping Mousse would run out of projectiles, Ranma slipped down into an alley, using the buildings to shield them. The loud crunching noise from a ball-and-chain embedding itself in a nearby wall made Ranma smile. Mousse usually liked to save those for near the end, this was finally winding down.

 

Ranma couldn’t imagine life without this level of fun in it.

 

* * *

 

Kyousuke kicked an empty can down the road as he walked. He’d finally ruled that faking his death was going overboard, but was only marginally closer to a solution for his main problem. Run or stay? Run or Stay? Neither option seemed good.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyousuke saw motion in the alleyway he was crossing. He turned to see what was happening, the figure (which he’d only managed to register was about his height and wearing red) ran straight at him, and then... when did he start running? Stumbling a bit, Kyousuke realised he’d made a decent chunk of the way across the park he’d been walking beside in a few seconds.

 

“Saotome! Stop running, and face me!” a bespectacled boy shouted, emerging from that alleyway Kyousuke had just been walking past.

 

Kyousuke stared at the guy; his long hair, flowing white robes, and thick glasses were certainly an unusual look. And...wait, why was he glaring this way? Kyousuke could only assume the guy was going to ask him where this ‘Saotome’ went... at least until the guy chucked a dagger his way.

 

“Eek!” Kyousuke squeaked, sliding to dodge the dagger.

 

He then stared in confusion as he managed to swing out of the way with ease, and the blade seemed to fly by in slow motion. Kyousuke assumed he’d used his telekinetic abilities without realising it. (Also, something felt weird about his hair, but he couldn’t quite place that.) Terrified, he broke out into a run, hoping to escape this knife wielding eccentric.

 

As he ran, he was stunned by just how fast his feet were carrying him. This was quite possibly the fasted he’d ever run in his life (the only time that might have compared was that time he’d been a cat, but he was also much smaller then, so Kyousuke wasn’t certain how they’d compared).

 

“Stop running, Saotome!” Mousse shouted.

 

“You’ve got the wrong guy!” Kyousuke replied as he ran. His voice sound kind of odd, but he chalked that up to panic.

 

“Ha! Do you really think I’d fall for that so easily? I’m wearing my glasses!”

 

Annoyed by what he thought was Ranma’s attempt at a trick, Mousse launched another volley of daggers. (With one meat cleaver thrown in by mistake... Cologne was definitely going to yell at him for tossing around Neko Hanten company supplies.)

 

Kyousuke was amazed that it was so easy to dodge. Some of the moves he ended up pulling felt like something out of a Jackie Chan movie. Feeling a buzz of adrenaline, Kyousuke decided to see if he could pull off more moves from the movies he’d watched lately. Running up towards his unfamiliar foe, Kyousuke swerved and dodged projectiles with ease, before slipping in and connecting with an uppercut that sent the long haired boy flying.

 

“I don’t really understand it, but this is so cool,” Kyousuke muttered under his breath.

 

An angry yell revealed that his foe was still conscious, and was now running his way looking only slightly more annoyed (if any change had happened from that punch). Despite these mysterious new martial arts powers, Kyousuke couldn’t overcome his natural self preservation instincts and broke into a retreat.

 

Scrambling down the quiet side streets of suburban Tokyo, Kyousuke immediately regretted punching this guy. He’d just been running on adrenaline. This was probably going to end as badly as his short time in the Karate club.

 

That was when he made a wrong turn, and soon found himself in an alleyway that proved to be a dead end. Turning around, Kyousuke felt his back against the wall as his bespectacled foe approached.

 

“Listen, I’m really sorry about punching you, m-maybe we can talk this out?” Kyousuke stammered as he watched his opponent draw some throwing knives.

 

“It’s too late for that, Saotome,” Mousse hissed. “I’m going to avenge Shampoo’s hon-hmrphf.”

 

The last grunt out of Mousse being the result of a girl on a bicycle landing on his head. Kyousuke found his eyes drifting up to realise the buildings surrounding them were at least three floors high. Where on earth did this girl come from?

 

“Stupid Mousse,” the girl muttered, before turning to Kyousuke with a large smile. Suddenly she propelled forward, tackling Kyosuke. “ _ Airen! _ ”

 

Looking down at the gorgeous stranger now clung to him (she was definitely softer in certain places than Hikaru, and with a tighter grip), Kyousuke realised he was wearing very different clothing than he’d been just fifteen minutes earlier (a red and sleeveless silk shirt of some kind?). His own arms also looked rather more muscular. What exactly had happened?

 

“You will come back with Shampoo to the restaurant,” the blue haired girl declared, lightly tapping him on the nose. “Shampoo has cooked a special new treat. Come!”

 

Kyousuke found himself being lead by the wrist past a now grovelling Mousse. The bespectacled boy (with the bicycle still balanced on his head somehow) tried to explain that he was defending Shampoo’s honour, only to get punched in the face for his trouble.

 

As confusing as it was, Kyousuke was certain that he needed to find a mirror. He suspected he’d accidentally swapped bodies with someone, and seeing his reflection would answer his question.

 

* * *

 

Ranma groaned as they regained consciousness, in  _ serious _ pain. What on earth had hit them?

 

Looking around, Mousse was nowhere to be seen, so that was good. Now to figure out which part of Tokyo they were in. Ranma hopped to their feet, only to wonder why it felt like like they their limbs were several times more exhausted than they had any right to be. That was when Ranma noticed they were also wearing very different clothing from before, now in a purple button up t-shirt, suspenders, and a pair of khakis.

 

“What on earth am I wearin’?” Ranma muttered, scratching at the back of their head. 

 

It was then went they noticed something odd about their hair. Reaching down, they found their signature pigtail was missing, and their hair felt quite a bit shorter in the back. Feeling a sense of worry, Ranma looked around for a window of some sort.

 

There weren’t any available nearby, but the sound of traffic not far away left Ranma with the impression there’d be some shops over that way. Marching off in a huff, Ranma silently plotted vengeance against Mousse if their hair had indeed been cut.

 

Their instincts proved right and they found themself on a commercial street a couple blocks later. It didn’t take long to find a shop with a large window that was reflective enough. Their hair was indeed cut short in the back, though their bangs seems untouched (maybe a little fluffier than usual?).

 

“He did cut it! Why that little-” Ranma began, only to realise (as they balled their hand into a fist, a move that would normally be a fairly effective flex) that there seemed to be rather less muscle on their arms than usual.

 

Very confused, Ranma unbuttoned the shirt slightly to pull it off their head. There was a white undershirt beneath, but enough was revealed to show a severe lack of toning.

 

“Okay, what the heck is going on?” Ranma mumbled, staring at down right  _ average _ looking arms. “I’m as skinny as Dai or Hiroshi.”

 

Was it that weakness moxibustion? Ranma didn’t remember that impacting muscle mass, only the actually ability to exert strength. Also, their voice sounded kind of funny.

 

“Kasuga? What are you doing all the way up here?... Kasuga? Hello?” a girl’s voice said. There was something vaguely familiar about it, but none of the content registered.

 

Ranma had been mostly oblivious to her, but then the girl poked them in the arm, causing them to jump slightly. Turning, Ranma saw that the girl who poked them was about his age, with a soft face, and long dark hair that had a hint of blue to it. Her smile had a slightly mischievous edge to it that Ranma didn’t want to admit was cute.

 

“H-hello?” Ranma offered, not sure what to make of this girl. Who was she, and why was she talking to them.

 

“If you’re worried that I’m still upset about yesterday, don’t be. I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You’re too shy for that.”

 

“Oh, uh... thanks?” Ranma offered, still perplexed.

 

“What are you doing up in Suginami, though?” the girl asked.

 

“I... uh, felt like going for a run?”

 

“That’s quite the run , Kasuga,” the girl replied with a laugh. 

 

“Who’s Kasuga?” Ranma asked, wondering if there was some sort of mix up.

 

“Oh, one of  _ those _ days, is it? You get the strangest ideas on how to remake yourself sometimes Kasuga,” the girl replied, chuckling a little to herself. “Well, come on, let’s grab a train back to Abcb. I’ll make you some lunch.”

 

While the situation had Ranma confused, free lunch was not something a Saotome ever passed up, so they nodded. “Sure thing. That sounds good.”

 

Obviously they needed to go talk to Cologne at some point and find out what was going on with their muscle mass, but... empty stomachs came first.

 

It was then that Ranma noticed the large shopping bag in the girl’s hand. It paid to be polite to one’s cook. “I could carry that, if ya want?”

 

“If you’d like,” the girl replied, handing it off to them.

 

Ranma and the girl walked in silence towards the nearest train station. The streets were fairly quiet out here, which Ranma found relaxing. It also meant Ranma was able to hear the girl humming to herself. She seemed to have a pretty good melody going, which led Ranma to believe she had some musical talent.

 

Reaching the station, Ranma realised the need to see if they had a wallet or not in these strange clothes. A bit of patting revealed the answer to be a negative, leave Ranma in an awkward position. Luckily the girl just giggled and paid Ranma’s fare as well.

 

“Honestly Kasuga. Going for a long walk without your wallet. You need to think ahead better,” the girl said as they walked down the stairs to the waiting area, her tone removing any harshness to her words.

 

Ranma had to wonder why this girl was convinced they were this Kasuga person, but also knew they’d have a  _ very _ long walk home with their strangely weakened muscles and no wallet. So maybe they could be polite, play along, and then get fare for a train back to Nerima. Also free food.

 

It was slightly disconcerting to see that they were catching the southbound train on the Inokashira line, but it didn’t make a huge difference to travel times home if they got fare for the ride home.

 

The train arrived soon enough, and they began sliding through the suburbs of Tokyo in the general direction of Shibuya. Ranma was ready to sit patiently and find out where they’d be getting out, when the girl leaned against them in what felt like a romantic gesture. Ranma swallowed nervously, not wanting to play into the role too much. Helpful stranger getting a free lunch was one thing, but taking advantage of similar looks to be romantic... that would be crossing a line.

 

Hoping for a distraction, Ranma peaked into the bag they were carrying. The box said it was a cappuccino machine, which was something Ranma vaguely remembered Nabiki saying she wanted.

 

“So... is this for the restaurant, or your own?” Ranma asked, hoping the question wasn’t too suspicious.

 

“The restaurant. Master said the old one was starting to get a little worn down,” the girl replied, sitting up a bit. “Probably Hikaru helping out too many times.”

 

Ranma nodded, relieved to have apparently dispelled the romantic mood a little. Further probing about the trip and why the girl had gone so far to shop (the restaurant owner’s favourite shop had moved for rent reasons) filled the rest of the ride until they arrived at Shimo-Kitazawa Station.

 

Kitazawa itself proved quite bustling, not that Ranma was surprised, being so close to Shibuya. Slipping along through the crowds, Ranma did their best not to lose the girl they were with. Luckily this Abcb place proved not to be too far away, so the chances to lose her were minimal.

 

A bell chimed as they walked into the western style cafe. It felt quite cozy to Ranma, even if it was pretty quiet right now.

 

“Hello Master, it’s mission successful,” the girl declared.

 

“Oh, Madoka-kun, you were quick. I figured you’d grab something to eat while you were out,” the man behind the counter said. He looked to be in his mid 30s, with a beard and fluffy hair all a medium brown.

 

“Well, I ran into Kasuga, who’d apparently gotten himself lost with an empty stomach and no wallet. I figured it would be cheaper to eat something here. Employee discount and all,” Madoka replied. “Plus he owes me train fare, so I thought we could have him help out for a bit.”

 

“I’m not sure we’ll have much need for him today, it’s pretty dead,” the man replied.

 

Madoka looked around. “Huh, I suppose that’s true. Alright, Kasuga, what did you want for lunch?”

 

“Um,” Ranma mumbled, realising they had no idea what the restaurant served, but that this ‘Kasuga’ person should know. Then they had an idea that led to rather a large smile. “How ‘bout you surprise me, Madoka?”

 

Suddenly both of them were staring at Ranma. What did they do wrong? Should they have used an honourific? Was this Madoka a senior to this Kasuga?

 

“Wow, so he’s finally progressed to using your given name. I thought the day would never come,” the owner laughed.

 

Madoka, for her part, blushed slightly. “Uh, okay. Sure thing...  _ Kyousuke _ .”

 

Ranma shrank behind the bag a bit. Maybe it was time to come clean... but why did this man  _ also _ think they were this Kasuga guy? Ranma’s curiosity about who Kasuga Kyousuke was growing by the minute. 

 

Plus, they hadn’t gotten any lunch yet.

 

* * *

 

Kyousuke clung on to this Shampoo girl for dear life. He’d been on a bicycle moving this fast before, but that was when he’d been using his powers to get a major speed boost. This girl, however, seemed to be doing in all under the power of her legs. And she seemed to be complete comfortable with riding in the weirdest places. Like along a fence right now.

 

Then, with zero warning, they leapt off the fence and ground to a screeching halt. His heart still racing furiously, Kyousuke found it hard to let go of the girl. Mostly because of fear from the ride, but also because the girl was gorgeous. Between her cute, and distinctly foreign, face and her figure that  _ at least _ rivaled Ayukawa’s... he felt like he’d be happy to do whatever she told him. Maybe he could wait just a little bit before tracking down whoever he’d swapped bodies with... if he’d really swapped bodies. A mirror would obviously tell him, but if he just didn’t confirm it for a little bit, then he could spend a bit more time with this cute girl.

 

“As much as Shampoo likes being held,  _ airen _ will have to let go if Shampoo’s going to do any cooking.”

 

“Oh, heh, sorry,” Kyousuke muttered as he let go and stepped back away from the bicycle.

 

Shampoo walked over to lock her bicycle up at the restaurant’s side. Kyousuke was sure she was making sure to show off her legs as she leaned forward to close the lock. She then bounced back towards him, smiling away.

 

“Come in! Shampoo will give you a much better lunch than angry girl could ever manage,” she declared, grabbing Kyousuke by the wrist and pulling him along.

 

* * *

 

Ranma was surprised that it had taken just two sandwiches for them to feel reasonably satiated. After all the running around they’d done that morning, they’d expected to be starving.

 

“So, Kyousuke,” the owner began, “do you think you’ll be free to help out on weekends again this summer? It’s always good to have you around.”

 

“Uh, it should probably be fine?” Ranma replied. It wasn’t like they were actually promising anything.

 

Madoka shot them a smile that seem to indicate she was quite happy with that answer. Ranma felt slightly guilty to be stealing a smile as nice as that.

 

Then the smile vanished and Madoka looked away to clean something, blushing slightly. Ranma wondered what had happened when the entrance bell chimed.

 

“ _ Darling _ ? It is  _ darling _ !” a bubbly girl’s voice called out.

 

Suddenly Ranma found themself being clasped onto by a girl who had almost certainly leapt across half the restaurant to tackled them. Even though she was quite light, Ranma found it a struggle to stay on the stool they were sitting on with the added weight (hammering once more the question of where their muscles had gone).

 

Ranma let out a sigh of relief when no electric shock followed being called ‘ _ darling _ ’, before wondering if they’d been reading too much manga to have honestly expected lightning.

 

“Oh sempai! I was so worried. I went and talked with your sisters this morning, and they said you were gone when they got up, and that you didn’t have your wallet or your keys or anything. So I went out asking if anyone had seen you! And I had Yuusaku out too, but I haven’t seen that boy for an hour... Anyway! It’s great that you’re here and you’re safe,  _ darling _ ! Did Madoka find you?” the girl said, in remarkably little time.

 

“I, uh, yeah?” Ranma offered, hoping this girl would release them from her tight grip.

 

“Mhm, I found him staring aimlessly at his reflection up in Suginami. He didn’t even have train fair,” Madoka explained, her tone much harsher now than it had been earlier, confusing Ranma a little.

 

Finally the new girl let go and hopped onto the seat beside Ranma. Now able to get a look at her, they couldn’t help feeling that she was like sunshine personified with that smile she wore. She was clearly a bit younger than them, looking like she’d still be in middle school, and had light brown hair cut short.

 

“Sempai, you’re very silly sometimes. I feel like I have to worry about you,” she said, with a false pout.

 

“I.. heh, maybe?” Ranma muttered. What was the situation here? Madoka had been seeming romantic earlier, but was now going for a cold shoulder. And this new girl seemed utterly infatuated. Maybe they’d just read Madoka wrong. It wasn’t like reading emotions was Ranma’s strongest skillset.

 

“Hikaru, if his family’s worried, maybe you should take Kyousuke home?” Madoka said.

 

Hikaru lit up. “That’s a good idea, Madoka! Come on, sempai!”

 

Before Ranma could try to back out of this and make an effort to confess they were being dragged out the door. Well, the jig would be up as soon as they reached this Kyousuke’s family. No way would family would fall for Ranma’s apparently similar appearance, even if everyone else had... right?

 

Or at least that was Ranma was thinking for the first part of the run through streets Ranma didn’t know. Then it began to rain. And Ranma’s curse didn’t activate.

 

They had no idea what to make of that, and just slid into auto-pilot from the shock.

 

* * *

 

Kyousuke had been very impressed with the amount of food this Shampoo girl brought him to eat. And even more surprised that he was getting through all of it. He’d barely used the Power today... what had the person to whom this body belonged been up to all day?

 

He was finishing up when the front door of the restaurant slammed open.

 

“Ranma! There you are! Did you forget we were leaving today?” a short haired girl shouted. 

 

She was damp from the rain outside, and Kyousuke did his best to keep his eyes from wandering to notice the effect that had on her shirt. As she marched over, Kyousuke slowly realized that ‘Ranma’ was the name of the guy this body belonged to. 

 

“H-hi?” Kyousuke offered, having no idea how to respond to this girl.

 

It was probably time he went back and found his body. Free food from a beautiful waitress was nice and all, but he didn’t want to have to deal with serious problems.

 

“Hi?  _ Hi!? _ We were supposed to leave an hour ago! And you’re just here having a leisurely lunch with Shampoo,” the girl groaned. Despite her bad mood, she was exceptionally cute.

 

Before Kyousuke could offer a reply, the girl yanked on the pigtail that he currently had and dragged him towards the door.

 

“ _ Airen _ , don’t worry! Shampoo will see you again soon!” the blue haired beauty announced.

 

Kyousuke was about to protest when they crossed the threshold back outside. A couple drops of rain hit his forehead, and then... what were those lumps that suddenly appeared on his chest? Kyousuke stared in shock for a moment, before passing out.


	2. Part 2

****Ranma stood damp and confused in front of the door to the Kasuga family apartment. They were still male, still skinny, and still had not explanations for why.

Hikaru rapped happily on the door and a girl’s voice replied, asking for a moment. Ranma swallowed.

“Kurumi! I’ve got it, don’t butt—“ the same voice grumbled moments before the door was thrown open.

Ranma was left looking at two girls who seemed maybe Hikaru’s age, or a little younger. The one in front (presumably Kurumi) had loose shoulder length brown hair. The other girl had glasses and dark bluish hair. Both had near identical cherub-like faces that felt vaguely familiar to Ranma.

“You found him!” Kurumi said, turning happily to Hikaru. “Good work!”

“Ah, well it was really Madoka who found him,” Hikaru admitted.

“No surprise there,” the other sister said, a smirk Ranma didn’t understand briefly flashing on her face.

“Um, hi?” Ranma offered. It deeply bothered them how familiar these girls looked. (Who did the girls remind them of?)

“Yeesh, you’re soaked, Kyousuke. You should probably go get changed before you catch a cold, especially with _your_ immune system,” the bespectacled girl said.

“Oh, uh, sure,” Ranma muttered, looking into the apartment with no idea where Kyousuke’s room would be. But maybe there would be answers there.

“Darling is a little out of sorts today... maybe I should go help him,” Hikaru offered with a mischievous grin, before bursting out into a slightly nervous laugh and blushing furiously. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

Ranma glanced at the girl, worried just what she might try, before wandering into the apartment. Luckily, the bedrooms proved easily enough to find, and Kyousuke’s had its door left open. Feeling like they were trespassing, Ranma walked carefully into the room and looked around. That was when they saw a couple pictures on the desk. Some had Hikaru in them. A few had Madoka. Both seemed to cover a few years. Then some others had the sisters, going back further. But it was the guy in each that drew Ranma’s attention. That was _them._ There was no mistaking the face. Yet the them in these pictures was as skinny and short haired as Ranma currently found themself.

“It’s gotta be some sort a’ dream,” Ranma muttered. “I really need ta get find the old hag... but would she even be around? If it’s a dream then... maybe it’s like that weird mental trainin’ thing with the old hermit when I was 11... Well, get changed first, I guess. Then figure out if this is mystical nonsense.”

* * *

“Hey, Earth to Saotome. You in there?”

Kyousuke blinked. He was in a rather crowded van. A man with long hair and a moustache was driving. Sitting calmly in the front passenger seat was a panda of all things. Then there were two girls in the middle section: the girl with short dark hair from before and this brunette who was talking to him.Lastly, in the back row with him there was a slightly older girl with long brown hair and on his other side a woman in a kimono looking at him with concern.

There was something oddly familiar about that woman’s soft and youthful features.

Then he remembered why he was in this van of strangers. He’d switched bodies with someone and... that was when he remembered to look down at his body. Well, calling it ‘his’ wasn’t quite right on two counts: he was borrowing this one and it was distinctly female right now. Which was so confusing, it had been a male body up until... was it the rain that sparked the change?

“Yo, Ranma! Did you hit your head again? Oy, sis, did you do that to him?” Nabiki grumbled, turning to Akane.

“Maybe there was something funny in the food Shampoo gave him,” Akane grumbled. “I didn’t do anything.”

“J-just a little drowsy, that’s all,” Kyousuke offered. He’d have to play it very careful until he could get back to his own body.

“Don’t worry Ranma, when we get to the hotel you’ll have time to get a shower,” Nodoka explained. “Then you can get back to your regular manly self.”

“Like that’ll last at the beach,” Nabiki muttered.

Kyousuke glanced out the window and realized they were a good way into the countryside. Maybe getting back to his own body wouldn’t be so easy.

* * *

“I’m headin’ out,” Ranma announced, now that they had a change of clothes, an umbrella, and a wallet.

“Where are you going now?” Kurumi asked.

“I, uh, owe Madoka some train fair. Thought I would pay her back.”

“Oh, so she’s finally Madoka?” Manami asked, giggling a bit.

“I—uh, yeah. Figure I might was well start bein’ on a bit more friendly terms?” Ranma offered.

“ _More_ friendly? Has big brother finally made his decision?” Manami asked.

“Don’t be silly! Hikaru’s the one who brought him back!” Kurumi pouted.

As the twins began to bicker, Ranma snuck away, not quite understanding the meaning of the argument.

The rain had mostly stopped, but trying to return the umbrella now was just asking for trouble from the twins, so Ranma set out with it in hand. They didn’t exactly know where the nearest train station was, but it didn’t seem like it would be _too_ hard to find.

To be honest, the slow pace of just walking through the city streets after the rain was relaxing. It had been too long since Ranma had spent much time alone at street level. Always up on roofs, bounding about was fun, but just walking alone and taking in the view you were intended to see was calming.

At least until Ranma took a shortcut down an alleyway.

“Oy, pal. Where d’ya think you’re goin’?” a yanki looking punk asked, he and his friend smoking under a fire escape.

“Oh come on... listen, guys, I’ve had a weird day and I don’t want any trouble. Just let me pass by,” Ranma said, sighing in annoyance. Normally they’d beat the snot out of these punks on principle, but they weren’t sure about their muscles right now.

“Listen to that, ‘don’t want not trouble’,” the yanki said to his friend. “This guy don’t know who he’s talkin’ to, do he?”

“No he doesn’t,” the smaller thug replied.

Both teens cracked their knuckles and stepped forward. Ranma rolled their eyes and slid into a fighting pose. Maybe their body was being weird, but their knowledge should still be there. As the one punk charge forward, Ranma could tell the pair probably didn’t know how much about actual fighting, and managed to trip him. The move was sluggish, like trying to fight underwater, but it worked on this common delinquent. They other one came in with a wide open punch, and Ranma went for a basic enough judo throw. It was sloppy, but did the trick. The other thug was up from his trip, so Ranma went for the ever refined foot stomp. Then a quick chop to the throat. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.

As the thug swore and his friend stumbled to get up, Ranma booked it out of the alleyway. All their muscle memory was definitely gone. It was _interesting_ , but majorly annoying. So the best plan was the Saotome secret technique, getting out into the busier streets.

* * *

The van finally stopped outside a half decent looking hotel, and the various passengers filed out. Kyousuke found himself being loaded up with various suitcases, and was amazed how light it all seemed. Even being physically female right now, which he was _sure_ had to reduce the upper body strength a little. It was, however, very hard to see, the pile of suitcases going over his head.

Kyousuke decided to try playing it by ear, and only walked into two pillars and a wall before finally reaching the elevator, and then being relieved of the load as they parted ways at their rooms.

“Ranma dear, the shower should be right there,” Nodoka said absently as she began unpacking on one of the two beds in the room.

Where they sharing? Kyousuke did not know what to think about that, and scooted off to the bathroom to avoid the issue.

With the door firmly shut, he turned to the mirror. The girl in the mirror was a _babe_. The red hair was pretty striking, and the figure was up there with Madoka’s. Or that Shampoo girl’s.

‘Wait a minute,’ Kyousuke thought to himself. ‘This is a guy... I distinctly remember someone saying he was a boyfriend.’

Kyousuke stared at the mirror again. If this was a girl’s body, he’d feel very awkward washing up. But if it was a guy’s body the awkwardness was more around being attracted to it...

His confusion didn’t really clear up with scrubbing clean. At least sliding into the warm tub to soak apparently solved the issue when it returned the body to male. Relaxing for a bit, Kyousuke decided that he wasn’t really to blame for getting so separated from his own body right now. This person's life was chaos and he had just gotten swept up in it. Nodding confidently, he stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around himself.

Then he paused, realising he’d not actually seen the male face of this body.

“Please don’t be ugly,” Kyousuke muttered as he closed his eyes before spinning to the mirror.

Opening his eyes again, he was shocked. A series of weird expressions followed, twisting and turning to see every angle. There was no denying it though.

That was _his_ face. Kyousuke was sure of it. (That or Kazuya, if his kid cousin had had a _massive_ growth spurt.)

Sure, there was a little bit less baby fat, but that fit with how toned the body was.

This opened up so many new questions. Maybe he hadn’t swapped bodies the traditional way? Maybe he’d fallen through dimensions again, but ended up in a parallel version of himself?

Wait, did that mean his finding the female form from before attractive was incestious? He didn’t think so. Acting would have been wrong, but surely just admiring wasn’t wrong, right? It was just like admitting his cousin was objectively cute and fit, but it was like he’d ever had romantic intentions with—

“Ranma,” a voice said softly from the other side of the door. It took Kyousuke a moment to identify it as the short haired girl from before.

Nervously, he walked forward and opened the door slightly. “Y-yes?”

Akane was blushing a bit and avoiding eye contact. “I’m sorry about blowing up at the restaurant earlier. It’s just... Nabiki was complaining to me about it, and then you were late and I started worrying. Then I found you at Shampoo’s... I’m trying to get better about my temper, but you said you would try to behave better too. Remember, Dr. Tofu said we both need to work at this.”

Kyousuke stumbled for words a moment. He had just had his initial assumption about his situation thrown into question. Now a beautiful girl was giving him a heartfelt apology... what was he supposed to do?

“Uh...sorry. I was just out of sorts today? And, uh...” Kyousuke took a moment to remember the guy who was chasing him’s name. “Uh, Mousse was chasing me all around town. So I lost track of time, and was really hungry?”

He hoped that would work. Subconsciously, he braced for impact. It was almost funny how familiar this felt.

“Try harder next time,” Akane grumbled, before storming off, muttering about Ranma always thinking with their stomach.

* * *

It had started raining again when Ranma reached the train station. They were close enough that it seemed silly to open the umbrella though, and they hurried along through the rain, ignoring how weird it felt to be staying male.

Under the shelter of the station, they began to fish through the wallet they’d borrowed for train fair.

“Oh come on, why’s there so many 1 yen coins in here?” Ranma grumbled while counting out the fair. Carefully, they tried to sort the coins into 100¥ piles. “Mmm, so that’s 348¥...”

“Hey, you!”

Annoyed, Ranma turned to see a group of thugs, with the two they’d beaten up earlier standing just behind some of the older and taller ones.

“That’s him. He’s the guy who picked a fight,” the one guy from earlier said.

“Time to teach you a lesson in respect, pal,” the apparent leader declared as he and three others charged in.

Ranma thwacked the fastest across the face with their umbrella. Then dodged another, hitting a third with a jab to the solar plexus. A quick chop to the shoulder threw another off balance. Ranma’s next strike proved a little too slow as the thug caught it and pulled Ranma into a grapple. A headbutt to the nose broke the thug’s grip (and possibly his nose), but the momentum was lost and Ranma took a punch to the gut from another punk.

Things got worse from there, though Ranma was managing to give as good as they got, that wasn’t a very good position when outnumbered six to one. Finally, one of the thugs managed to grab ahold of the battered teen, holding them firm.

“Pheh, not a bad fighter, but you’re in over your head pal,” the thug said, pulling his fist back to deliver a serious blow.

Then he let out a shriek of pain, dropping his hand down to reveal what looked to be a guitar pick lodged in it, blood running down his knuckles. The other yanki holding Ranma loosened his grip a moment, allowing Ranma to wiggle out and pull a simple judo toss on the guy.

In that time it had taken Ranma to pull off the toss, the girl with long dark hair from before had charged into the fray. Ranma watched in a bit of shock as the girl efficiently fought her way through the gang of delinquents. Ranma grew lost enough in admiring the elegance of her technique that they almost forgot to help out, only managing to pull off a leg sweep on one thug before Madoka had worked through the rest.

Realising they were beaten, the thugs began to scramble off into the rain. The victorious pair paused to take a bit of a breather before Madoka turned to Ranma.

“Ok, Kyousuke... what was that about?” she asked, brushing some of her long dark hair out of her face.

“I, uh, took a bad shortcut?” Ranma replied.

“You’re very lucky I was coming home from work when I did. Although,” the girl said, pausing to give Ranma a once over, “from the little I saw, you look like you’ve been practicing.”

“I, uh... I’ve been watchin’ a lot of Kung-fu movies and messin’ around?” Ranma offered.

“Right,” Madoka replied, nodding a little with a look like she was about to start laughing. “It’s never a dull time with you. Come on though, my house is closer than yours and you’ve got some scrapes that need cleaning.”

Ranma didn’t have a good argument against that, and so fell in line. The complete lack of muscle memory. The way that they were identical to this Kyousuke person. The strange familiarity of this Madoka girl. And the very Shampoo-like forwardness of that Hikaru girl...

It felt quite similar to that mental training lesson. Dealing with internal confusions projected to an external vision. Which meant that physically walking to the Neko Hanten was probably impossible anyway. What they had to do was work out whatever this vision thing meant. Probably.

(And showing up like this was a sure fire way to get the snot beaten out of them by Mousse anyway, if it _was_ possible to find the Neko Hanten.)

Ranma was happy to quietly walk alongside Madoka, trying to ignore the pain they were feeling. Apparently they weren’t hiding it quite as well as hoped though, as Madoka pulled one of their arms over her shoulder moving to support their wait.

“You’re doing a better job at ‘stoic’ than usual, but I still know you’re pretty fragile Ka-, uh, Kyousuke,” Madoka said.

Ranma grimaced. They didn’t like being fragile... maybe that was the center of this whole ‘vision’ thing? A test of their ability to handle a little fragility. The idea of another round of the weakness moxibustion had leaked into their nightmares the past few months.

Now if only Ranma could remember what the lesson had been on how to end one of these visions.

“We’re here,” Madoka said, bringing Ranma to a stop, the confused teen having both not known where they were going and being lost in thought.

She then led them into the home, which let Ranma impressed at both its size and its emptiness. There wasn’t a sound, apart from the two of them.

“Sit down on the couch, I’ll be back with the bandages,” Madoka said.

“Sure. Uh, thanks?” Ranma replied, watching the possibly imaginary girl leave. “Ah man, it’s gonna mess with my head ta think of everyone as illusions.”

Ranma sat themself down for a moment, looking around at the modern interior design of the home. A small picture on the table beside the couch caught Ranma’s eye and they picked the frame up to look at it.

The girl in the photo looked like Madoka, though seemed to be about 10 or 11. What was more notable was her short hair and boyish clothes.

“Oh gosh, that picture is so embarrassing,” Madoka’s voice said.

Ranma looked up, eyebrows raised in curiosity. “It’s you?”

“Mhm. Mom pulled it out when she visited last week. I couldn’t guess why,” she replied as she walked over and sat down on the couch.

“I think it’s a nice picture... So, what made you grow your hair out?” Ranma asked as Madoka opened up the first aid kit.

“I... Well, there was a guy I met back then who said he thought I’d look better with long hair. Well, that and he thought I was a boy when we first met, and I got a bit self conscious about that,” she explained, pulling out some bandages. “Since he left a bit of an impression, I kind of wanted to see if I could impress him... if he ever returned.”

There was something about Madoka’s expression that left Ranma with the impression they were missing something.

“Ah... do you like it?” Ranma asked as Madoka dabbed some of their scrapes with stinging alcohols.

Madoka paused, staring at Ranma a moment. “I... well, I’m used to it now?”

Ranma winced with another dab of disinfectant, as Madoka returned to the task at hand.

“I, uh, wasn’t tryin’ to change your mind. Just curious,” Ranma replied.

As the bandaging continued, Ranma couldn’t accept the idea that this girl might be a figment of their imagination. She was just so real. Even if she felt so familiar.

* * *

Kyousuke had spent a good ten minutes trying to find swim trunks in the clothing packed for him, and yet... all he had to show for it was 3 girls’ swimsuits. Picturing the smoking redhead he’d turned into in any of them brought a blush to his cheeks, but he couldn’t handle the idea of actually going out like that.

He’d know exactly what other guys would think when they looked at him after all. He wasn’t ready for that.

It hadn’t been like he planned to go swimming anyway, so he’d just stay out of the water. He headed down to the beach in a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and some flip flops that felt a bit feminine for his comfort.

After grabbing the elevator down to the lobby, Kyousuke found Akane waiting for him. Her one piece fit her very well, revealing toned legs that he found more than a little distracting.

“What’s with that outfit?” Akane asked, giving him a once over.

“I don’t really feel like swimming today?” Kyousuke offered, feeling a bit nervous about the annoyed expression on her face.

“Oh,” Akane said, sounding a little sad as she turned away and heading outside.

Kyousuke watched her head off a moment, before realising he should follow and hurried after her. The pair walked in awkward silence the short distance to the beach. They found the rest of the Tendos and Saotomes clustered around a few parasols and towels.

Kyousuke found himself getting stared at by everyone.

“Hi?” the nervous boy offered.

“You, uh, look very handsome, Ranma,” Nodoka said.

“Ah, thanks,” Kyousuke replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.

“Oh, I just remembered something that needs doing. Genma, Soun, I need a little help,” she said, glaring as the men stared in confusion.

Then realisation flashed in their eyes and they nodded.

“Yes, right,” Soun replied. “You young lovers, don’t mind us.”

Kyousuke watched the three adults leave, feeling a little confused. Then he noticed Akane’s twitching eye as she marched over and flopped herself onto towel.

“They never give up,” Akane sighed, staring up at the sky.

Kyousuke quietly sat himself down on a towel under a parasol, not quite understanding what was going on.

“Well, I don’t plan to leave you two alone with our stuff,” Nabiki said, sitting down on her own towel and beginning to apply some tanning lotion.

“I think I’ll leave you three to it then. I feel like enjoying the water a bit,” Kasumi said, setting off towards the water.

The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, until Kyousuke realised that Akane wasn’t really doing anything to work on her tan. She seemed to be staring longingly at the water, as far as he could tell. Apparently he wasn’t being subtle about looking her way though, and she turned to him with an annoyed expression.

“What?”

“I was just thinking you don’t have to avoid swimming for my benefit or anything,” Kyousuke said.

“You just have to poke at that, don’t you Ranma?” Akane grumbled.

“Poke at what?” Kyousuke asked.

“Every time we go to the beach, you make fun of me for not knowing how to swim! Doesn’t it get boring?” Akane hissed.

“What? I... uh, that wasn’t,” Kyousuke began to stammer.

He’d really stuck his foot in his mouth here. And, of course, it felt extra embarrassing considering how much flack _he’d_ received over the years for not being able to swim himself. It was some sort of cruel irony, especially when he thought about who it was who tended to mock him the worst for it...

“There’s, uh, there’s nothing wrong with not knowing how to swim,” Kyousuke said, staring down at the ground.

Kyousuke suddenly felt both Akane and Nabiki staring at him. Something about the way they were looking at him was like they saw him as a stranger.

“I’m, uh, I’m going for a walk,” Kyousuke blurted as he scrambled to his feet.

He was getting too sucked into this life. It wasn’t his. He had to figure out how to get home. He had to get back to Madoka, who... who probably still wanted to kill him.

On second thought, maybe staying her a little while longer wasn’t too bad. It was probably safer.


	3. Chapter 3

Ranma walked back to the Kasuga home, unsure what path to take now. Was this all real or an illusion?

Sighing, Ranma opened the door to the Kasuga apartment. They were tired, sore, and confused. Sleep sounded good right now.

Then they registered the chair floating around. And a bunch of books. A few pans as well.

Ranma just stared in confusion, before suddenly finding themself pulled into the apartment by an unseen force, and the door slammed shut behind them.

“Don’t leave the door open!” Manami yelped.

It was then that Ranma noticed the twins, and had to guess they were responsible for the floating objects. _How_ , Ranma couldn’t say, but they seemed utterly unperturbed by the chairs gliding around the room, so it seemed logical to guess that they were responsible.

“Are you okay, big brother? You look like you’ve seen a ghost or something,” Kurumi asked.

Ranma was confused enough to forget not to remember they were supposed to be related to these girls for a moment. Then they remembered, and gave a quick blink and head shake to try to reboot a bit.

“I... uh,” was all they could manage.

“Oh! What’s with all those scrapes?” Manami asked, walking up to Ranma with concern in her eyes.

“Just a fight,” Ranma offered.

“ _Just_ a fight? What happened? Who patched you up?” Manami asked, floating objects sliding back into their presumed places as she asked.

“Uh, just some thugs. Madoka helped me... and patched me up,” Ranma replied.

“And you’re okay now?” Manami asked.

“Yeah. I just need t’ sleep,” Ranma said, deciding to ignore the strangeness and just head for bed.

Closing the door behind them, Ranma walked over and slid into the bed. Outside the door, they heard the twins bickering. They didn’t really feel like paying attention, until a specific sentence stuck out to them.

“Do you think he’s hypnotised himself again?” Kurumi asked.

“I was going to ask if you’d hypnotised him. Do you think he gave himself amnesia? Calling Madoka by her given name... confused by seeing us using the Power... seems like amnesia,” Manami replied.

Ranma’s eyes opened and they stared at the ceiling. That wasn’t an option... surely?

“I wonder what personality he tried to give himself?” Kurumi said.

“He was complaining about everyone thinking he was weak the other day... and now he’s gotten into a fight,” Manami replied. “Seems like the sort of thing he’d tried.”

Ranma felt a shiver down their spine. This wasn’t an option they needed.

* * *

Kyousuke walked along the beach, sort of zoned out. Akane seemed like she suspected he wasn’t who she thought he was, and he wasn’t sure what to do about that. Confess? Or keep trying to play natural until he figured out how to get home.

“Ranchan!” a strangely familiar voice called out.

Kyousuke suddenly found an arm wrapped around his shoulder and a handsome brown haired teen smiling at him.

“Funny to see you in boy mode at the beach,” they said, voice still oddly familiar.

Kyousuke stared at the stranger, feeling a little uncomfortable with the proximity until his eyes drifted down to the stranger’s physique and he realised she was a girl. Specifically, a girl with very nice legs, even with the shorts that seemed verging on swim trunks.

“Yo, earth to Ranchan,” the girl said.

“S-sorry,” Kyousuke replied. “Uh, what’s up?”

“I’ve got Konatsu setting up the grill. Did you want some samples?”

Kyousuke was going to say no, but... then his stomach grumbled. How was he hungry again after eating _that_ much for lunch? It seemed like it should have been enough to cover him for two days.

“Sure?” Kyousuke said, a little guiltily.

The girl lit up and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him off down the beachfront. A few minutes later, Kyousuke found himself dropped down in front of a yatai where an elegant girl was finishing up checking everything over.

“I think everything’s ready, Ukyo-sama,” the girl said.

“Thanks Konatsu,” Ukyo replied, swinging around the grill and starting to cook up some okonomiyaki.

Kyousuke sat quietly, watching the handsome girl cook, feeling quite comfortable here. Maybe he’d stick with this Ukyo for a little while.

“Here you go, your Ranchan special,” Ukyo said, sliding him some okonomiyaki on a thick paper plate.

“Thanks,” Kyousuke replied before digging in.

The mix of flavours was almost overwhelming, but managed to balance together without being _too_ much. He was almost done when another voice called out from behind him.

“ _Airen_! Shampoo is here now, with good food for you.”

Kyousuke felt a moment of panic as Shampoo tackled into him. With the friendly girl latched on, Kyousuke gave a nervous look to Ukyo. She, in turn, pulled out an oversized spatula, and for a moment Kyousuke was worried he was about to get hit with it.

Instead, Ukyo shot it forward between his head and Shampoos, and began trying to peel the girl off him.

“He’s mine!” Ukyo shouted.

“Shampoo will never let go!”

Shampoo’s hug grew almost painfully tight as Uyko tried to peel her off.

“Ow, ow, ow,” Kyousuke winced was the grip slid into a vice-like strength.

“ _Aiyah_! Spatula girl has made Shampoo hurt her _airen_ ,” Shampoo yelped.

“Ranchan, are you okay?” Ukyo asked, slipping her spatula onto her back and leaning very close to Kyousuke.

With two exceptionally attractive girls so close to him, Kyousuke’s brain was pretty firmly shutting down.

“ _Airen_ , are you okay?” Shampoo asked, shifting a bit and making Kyousuke blush more with the changing contact.

“I think he’s overheating,” Ukyo said, placing a hand on Kyousuke’s forehead. “Oh yeah, you’re burning up, Ranchan.”

Shampoo hopped off, a catlike grin spreading across her face. “Shampoo knows simple way to help with that!”

Suddenly Kyousuke found himself being lifted up, before Shampoo tossed him towards the water. His eyes went wide as he splashed in. The transformation hit fast and completely.

That, combined with his speed and the water being deeper than expected left Kyousuke completely disoriented. This led to panic, as he had no idea which way was up. Flailing for a moment, he slowly worked out which direction the light was coming from and used the power to push himself up (since normal swimming techniques still escaped him).

Finally, he cracked the surface and gasped for air. Then he noticed that, in his flailing, he’d somehow slipped out of his shorts, which were floating not too far away. He found himself turning red as his hair currently was when a wave caught them and dragged them off. His eye twitched before deciding to let himself sink back into the water.

Too embarrassed to be seen, he closed his eyes and did his best to remember the location of his hotel room, before teleporting.

He didn’t _quite_ get it right, appearing with a splash (since a fair bit of water came with him) in front of a confused (and familiar) couple who’d been watching tv.

“Heh, hi?” Kyousuke offered, an awkward smile on his face.

“H-hello miss?” the man replied, giving Kyousuke a quick once over that left the boy swapped into a cursed body blushing (even if he’d have likely received the same look in male form for showing up dripping wet without shorts).

“W-which floor is this?” Kyousuke offered.

“The 8th?” the woman offered.

“Ah. Off by two,” Kyousuke said, before heading off into the bathroom.

Once the door was closed, he teleported up the tenth floor, finding himself in the correct room this time. He then went to his luggage, digging around to grab a new pair of shorts.

With some shorts on, Kyousuke had to work out what to do next. He could go back to the beach and deal with Akane’s judgmental looks. Or risk a fight between Shampoo and Ukyo.

He jumped a bit when the door opened. He turned to see Nodoka entering, and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Oh, Ranma? What are you doing up here?” she asked.

“I, uh... Ukyo and Shampoo showed up, and things got chaotic?” Kyousuke offered.

Nodoka gave him a soft and motherly smile. “I’m sorry for that. And to think you’d stayed male to try and be romantic for Akane.”

Kyousuke shrugged, not sure what to say, when Nodoka suddenly hugged him.

“Oh, my poor son. You’re just surrounded by so much chaos,” she said.

Kyousuke’s heart did... something. He couldn’t tell if it was joy or sorrow. What he did know was a woman calling him ‘son’ hit hard. He had no memories of his own mother, as she’d passed away when he was an infant. So, all he could do was hug back.

Maybe she wasn’t technically his mother, but... well he was an alternate version of himself right now (as best as he could guess), so she _sort_ of was his mother?

* * *

Ranma woke up early in the morning, and snuck up to the roof to run through an intensive work out. Their muscles were sore already from the fight yesterday, and weren’t ready for this level of exercise. But they had no intention to stay weak.

They also used the time to debate their options. Staying quiet was safe, but... leaning into the amnesia option would get them some useful information. It also didn’t seem like it would be too suspicious, with how casually the twins had discussed it.

Sweating and sore, they had to use the railings as they took the stairs back down to the apartment. Entering into the Kasuga home, they found Manami working in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

“Oh, Kyousuke, you’re awake already?”

Ranma gave a strained grin and sat down at the table. “Trying to get in better shape. Maybe should have waited a couple days though.”

“Definitely. I know you heal fairly quickly, but... you should _definitely_ wait a little longer,” the bespectacled girl replied.

“So, uh... I heard you mentioning the idea of me having amnesia?” Ranma said. “I, uh... I think that’s worth investigatin’. My memories are more than a little hazy.”

Manami let out a tired sigh. “Hopefully this will be easier to fix than the time Kurumi made dad forget about his job back in Kanazawa. I... we’ll have to discuss it after breakfast though. I can’t really stop cooking right now.”

Ranma nodded, though silently wondered why Manami was the one cooking. She was only 14... Kasumi was pretty well an adult, so Ranma had never questioned her handling the food. Though, stopping to think about it, she probably would have handled the cooking at Manami’s age.

Still, Ranma decided they’d try to help... next time. Right now they could barely stand.

A few minutes later a man arrived at the table, looking the picture of soft fatherhood with his glasses, well kempt hair, and simple mustache.

“Oh, you’re up early, Kyousuke,” the man said.

“He’s trying to remake himself a little,” Manami said, while stirring some miso soup. “Could you wake Kurumi up?”

“Sure, sure,” Takashi replied. “Good luck with this attempt, son.”

Ranma gave a weak smile.

When the man left earshot, Manami leaned over to Ranma. “We don’t need to worry dad just yet. You know-er, maybe you don’t know how he is with Power stuff, but he always overthinks it. So... we’ll just not panic him.”

The Kasuga father returned soon after, a very drowsy Kurumi following behind. Manami served up breakfast soon after, and the family ate peacefully. Though Ranma found themself with barely any appetite.

Kurumi and Manami however had quite healthy appetites, which left Ranma eating defensively. Though that was at least half just out of habit.

Takashi left after the meal, leaving Ranma with the twins. Manami filled Kurumi in on the situation.

“Should I try to fix his memories with hypnosis?” Kurumi offered.

“We don’t know what he hypnotised himself as. Mixing with an unknown influence... it might not end well,” Kurumi replied.

“Yeah, that does sound risky,” Ranma added, not wanting to mess around hypnosis.

“We could get Madoka to slap him? That seems to help?” Kurumi said.

“I don’t think it’s the slap. Oh, but-!” Manami said, suddenly grabbing Ranma and Kurumi’s hands.

Suddenly Ranma found themself on the edge of a river, both girls standing beside them.

“Huh, wha-?” Ranma managed, before finding themself shoved into the frigid river. After a few moments of shock when they still didn’t transform, Ranma stood up, wet and confused. “What was that for?”

“The shock of cold water seems to be a good way to bring you back to your senses,” Manami explained.

“Ah. I... I guess that is a normal person thing,” Ranma muttered. That got stares from both sisters. Not having a good explanation, Ranma decided to change the subject. “So, maybe we can do this the straightforward way?”

“Straightforward?” Kurumi asked.

“Just telling me about things?” Ranma explained.

“Oh! I guess that works. We should go back home then,” Kurumi said, vanishing before Ranma’s eyes.

Manami vanished a moment later, leaving Ranma confused. They weren’t even sure where they relative to the apartment. Looking around, they realised they didn’t really know any of the landmarks. The best option seemed to be to find a hill.

“What’s taking you?” Manami asked from behind Ranma, causing them to jump.

“I don’t know which way’s home?” Ranma offered.

“Oh! Right!,” Manami said, putting a hand on Ranma’s shoulder.

And then Ranma was in a bathroom that they could only guess was the Kasuga home.

“You should probably get out of your wet clothes,” Manami said, gesturing to a towel and some clothes.

Ranma nodded and changed, before following Manami out to the living room and taking a seat on the couch. The two sisters proceed to give Ranma the rundown on Kyousuke’s life. How the families were psychics, and had to move a lot over the years whenever people got suspicious that they had powers. They’d been living here in Setagaya for a few years now though, a new record for the Kasuga family.

The news that both girls felt was most important to know was Kyousuke’s love life. Apparently the main two girls involved were Ayukawa Madoka and Hiyama Hikaru. There were also some others who were involved, Sayuri and Hiromi, but neither sister thought they were _that_ important.

What hit Ranma though, was the timeline. Apparently Kyousuke was generally seen to be dating Hikaru almost since they’d moved in, but Manami insisted he’d been seeing Madoka all along. For almost three years.

“So... wait. Madoka knows Ky-I’ve been dating Hikaru all this time, but Hikaru doesn’t know I’ve been seeing Madoka?” Ranma asked, trying to ignore the unpleasant feeling in their gut.

Both sisters nodded, causing the feeling in Ranma’s stomach to worsen. But, this _did_ help them feel much more confident about the illusory training theory. Close to three years of going behind the back of a girl as innocent and bubbly as Hikaru... they didn’t think they were capable of it, amnesia and hypnosis or not. (It did mean some part of their subconscious thought they were a huge jerk though. Or at least wanted to push their own issues to the edge of... parody? That was the best word Ranma could think of for it.)

Sure, they weren’t the _best_ about Shampoo or Ukyo, but that was mostly about getting free food, and they’d been pretty firm about preferring Akane. Akane was the one they were both publicly and privately closest with.

“Kyousuke, are you okay?” Kurumi asked.

Ranma blinked, shaking themself out of deep thought. “I... you two are okay with hi-uh, me dragging things out so long?”

“You’re the most indecisive boy to have ever lived,” Manami replied. “It can take you an hour to decide on your socks sometimes.”

“Ah,” Ranma replied, not overly sold on that making the whole thing acceptable.

There was more information that the sister’s found important, but Ranma was less invested. They were convinced solving this relationship nonsense was the centre of the test. A warning of what could potentially happen if they didn’t take a firmer stance with Ukyo. Even if they’d been sure that they’d been fairly obvious about preferring Akane... the free meals Ukyo still offered probably meant she thought otherwise. (Convince Shampoo or Kodachi of anything was probably a lost cause though...)

“I think I need ta go talk to Madoka,” Ranma said, accidentally interrupting a discussion about Hokkaido from Kurumi.

“Oh?” Manami asked, while the brunette sister pouted at being interrupted.

Ranma nodded. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do, but... this has gone on too long.”

Both sisters stared at them in shock while they walked over and tossed their shoes on.

* * *

Kyousuke had decided his safest option was to stick beside Nodoka for the day. Akane had been giving him a strange look at breakfast, so he didn’t think she was safe to be around. Then there was Shampoo and Ukyo... he had seen them fighting out front of the hotel on his way back up to his room. Ukyo slicing a tree in half with her spatula spooked Kyousuke into deciding not to head out on his own.

So, sure, maybe browsing souvenir shops, mostly looking at jewelry, wasn’t his idea of a great time, but boring was better than dangerous.

“Oh, these earrings would match your red hair so beautifully,” Nodoka said, as she held up a pair of dark green earrings made out of a material Kyousuke didn’t recognise.

“I, uh,” Kyousuke replied, reaching up with a bit of fear to touch his earlobes, imagining how painful getting a piercing would be. The point on the earrings looked frightening.

Only, he felt a small hole. These ears were pierced?

“If you think they’d suit me?” Kyousuke offered, still not sure they were comfortable with the idea.

“Is everything okay? You’re normally more interested in these things,” Nodoka asked softly. “I’ve always thought it admirable, so you can help Akane with fashion decisions. It’s a bit tiring how little your father cares about these things.”

“I, uh, I’m fine. I just... didn’t sleep great?” Kyousuke offered. “Strange bed and all that? Maybe it was too soft?”

“Ah. That can happen,” Nodoka said, before heading off to look at more jewelry.

* * *

Ranma pressed the doorbell for Madoka’s home, hoping the girl in question was home right now.

A minute or two later, she opened the door, looking a bit surprised to see them. “You’re up pretty early for the summer.”

Ranma smiled awkwardly. “I, uh... I’ve got some kinda personal questions. Could I come in?”

Madoka raised a curious eyebrow while stepping aside to give them access to the house. Ranma slid their shoes off and headed over to the living room nearby. Madoka sat down in a chair while Ranma went for a couch.

“Uh, this might be a weird question, but... what do you see in me?” Ranma asked.

“Having a crisis of confidence?” Madoka asked, sounding a bit less surprised than Ranma expected.

“I just want an honest assessment. I’ve just been thinking about... stuff. Our situation. And... I don’t know why you’d stick around for it?” Ranma asked.

“Oh. That’s quite the question... well, ah... the way you’re always trying to reinvent yourself is pretty charming. And your indecisiveness can be cute. Good looks don’t hurt either,” Madoka explained.

That last bit, Ranma couldn’t help but grin at. Their face was pretty much the same after all.

“I... I think the biggest thing, though, is that you see me as a girl. All the other boys at school... they’re kind of afraid of me. Like they think I’m a feral tiger or something, just because I know how to fight and I’m a little distant,” Madoka continued.

That hit Ranma hard. Was it really that important to a girl? Was it the teasing about her tomboyishness that was the big thing driving Akane away? All this time they’d been sure she just resented the forced engagement enough that that they barely stood a chance.

“Was that not what you were hoping to hear?” Madoka asked.

“Oh, uh, no. It’s fine. It’s good info,” Ranma replied.

Their mind was still racing with thought when something landed on their lap. Looking down Ranma was greeted by the sight of a small fluffy animal that began vibrating unsettlingly.

“C-c-cat!” Ranma yelped, hopping onto the top of the back of the couch, having been unprepared for such a fright with so much on their mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4:**

Ranma had known they wouldn’t be able to calm down properly in Madoka’s home with the knowledge that one of those little furry... _things_ was present. As such, they’d quickly excused themself and headed out to try and figure out where Hikaru’s might live. They hadn’t really had the option to ask Madoka, and had forgotten to ask the twins.

After a bit of wandering to see if coincidence would smile upon them (since this was _probably_ their subconscious projecting something, it made sense...). Sadly, that didn’t happen, and they decided it was time to try heading back to the Kasuga home, to see if they could get the information out of the twins.

“Kasuga!” a young man’s voice shouted, cracking slightly in conflict with any attempt to sound menacing.

Ranma turned to see a tanned boy with big hair and a poofy tracksuit glaring their way from across the street. He looked about 14, and like he was ready to try to commit murder. The boy quickly checked for traffic before charging across the road.

“I heard about what you did at school the other day!” Yuusaku shouted, sliding into a fighting stance a metre or so from Ranma. “Stealing Hikaru’s innocent heart isn’t enough for you? You have to peep too?”

“Are you tryin’ to start a fight right now?” Ranma asked, not sure how they felt about beating up a guy two years younger than them. Even if they were still sore from fighting yesterday. And their body was wonky.

On second thought, maybe they didn’t feel bad about it right now.

“Of course! I’m always ready to start a fight with you!” the tanned boy hissed.

“Normally I’d take you up on it, but... I’m actually planning to end things with Hikaru, so seems like it would be silly to fight over her,” Ranma said. “Unless this is some sorta official challenge or something? I ain’t gonna run away from one of those.”

“End... end this with Hikaru? You’re going to dump her and break her heart?” Yuusaku asked, outrage in his voice.

Ranma let out a tired sigh. This felt like dealing with Mousse. “Don’t you want me to?”

“I... uh... well, I was wanting you beat you up to prove to her I’m the more worthy boyfriend,” Yuusaku replied. “That way she’s not abandoned.”

“Beat me up to prove... do you really think she wants to date the stronger fighter? I know some girls go for that, but others definitely don’t,” Ranma replied.

“Of course! When we were kids she promised she’d marry me if I became a stronger fighter than her!” Yuusaku declared confidently.

“Really? Huh... would have never pegged her for bein’ Joketsuzoku,” Ranma muttered.

“Pardon?”

Ranma waved a hand dismissively. “It’s a long story. But, uh, could ya help me find her place? I think I’ve gotten a little turned around.”

“And, if I do, you’re split up with her?” Yuusaku asked.

“Yeah!” Ranma replied with a thumbs up. “And, uh, if you could help me find a way to word it that sounds like a, uh, my realisin’ that... uh... that I ain’t good-good enough for her...”

Ranma began to fidget. Even with this not really being _them_ , the idea of saying they weren’t good enough for someone hurt.

“It’s about time you realise the truth. I’d be happy to help,” Yuusaku said with a bit too big of a grin.

* * *

Kyousuke had only run off to use the washroom, but apparently that was separation from Nodoka enough for Ukyo to pounce him.

“Hey there, Ranchan. I was wondering if you might like to hang out for the afternoon,” the brunette said with a large grin as she backed Kyousuke up to a wall. (He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about a girl taking the lead so directly.)

“Uh, I was planning to spend the day with, uh, with my m-mum,” Kyosuke stammered, trying to keep control over the emotions that welled up when he said that.

“You can do that another day. C’mon, I managed to trick Shampoo into thinking ya’ve gone to a whole different mall, and Akane ain’t around,” Ukyo said, still smiling as she slid a forearm up onto the wall.

“It’ll be peaceful?” Kyousuke asked. For some reason Ukyo felt quite alluring to him. “No swinging that spatula around or anything?”

“Mhm, right peaceful,” Ukyo said.

Kyousuke nodded. “Alright. I’d be silly to say no to a date with a cute girl who wants to date me.”

Ukyo blushed a moment, before producing a small water bottle to dump on Kyousuke’s head, activating the curse that afflicted this body.

“Oy! What was that for?” Kyousuke protested, pushing red bangs out of his eyes.

“We both know I dress boyish enough people think I _am_ one half the time. So we’ll get fewer weird looks when you’re in girl mode,” Ukyo explained.

Kyousuke opened his mouth to protest, but realised that made a sort of sense. Still felt weird though.

* * *

Ranma shook their head again as they and Yuusaku walked down a quiet residential street towards Hikaru’s home.

“I’m not callin’ myself a worm unworthy to live in the dirt beneath her feet,” Ranma muttered, having had enough of Yuusaku’s break up ‘advice’.

“It’s honest though,” Yuusaku muttered.

Ranma gave Yuusaku a side eye. They just had nothing to say to that.

The rest of the walk was quiet. Ranma was going to have to figure out what to say all on their own.

And there wasn’t much time left, the pair arriving at a door a few minutes later. Ranma swallowed nervously, preparing to knock, only to have Yuusaku ring the doorbell before Ranma could knock. Ranma glared at the boy for the few seconds before the door swung open to reveal Hikaru.

“Darling!?” the young girl asked, confused for a moment before she smiled and tackled Ranma. “Sempai, what do I owe the pleasure to?”

“Uh, well... y’see,” Ranma stammered, struggling to say anything harsh to a girl with such big and innocent eyes. And trying to hold her up was a bit of strain on their now weakened state, which wasn’t helping concentration.

“Oh, Yuusaku... why are you here?” Hikaru asked, still gripping onto Ranma. The did _not_ sound happy to see him right now.

“I... uh... well, I-I was just having a-a friendly conversation with Kasuga,” Yuusaku stammered, a large blush spreading across his face.

“Hmm... well, do you want to go get some drinks for me and darling at the corner store? I’ve only got water right now,” Hikaru replied, finally hopping down form Ranma.

“Uh, yeah. Sure thing! Anything for your Hikaru!” Yuusaku replied with a salute before running down the road.

Ranma blinked. That guy was as bad around girls as Ryoga.

Yuusaku paused a moment to turn back and wave, only to trip on an abandoned soccer ball.

“He’s such a disaster,” Hikaru said, before grabbing Ranma’s hand. “Oh well, let’s stop worrying about him, eh darling?”

Before Ranma could say anything, they found themself being dragged into Hikaru’s home and up to her bedroom. The light haired girl let go of their hand and plopped herself down on the bed, shooting a big smile up at Ranma.

Ranma took a seat in the chair at Hikaru’s desk, looking around a little nervously at all the pictures Hikaru had up around her room of Ranma’s current form (whether alone or looking like a happy couple). It made saying what they had to say to make this whole strange dream end so much harder. Still, Ranma wanted to get back to their own life.

“So, what did you want to talk about, sempai?” Hikaru asked, her voice so innocent.

Ranma blinked their eyes and shook their head. They had to concentrate. “I... I’ve been thinkin’ about... stuff. The future and all that.”

Ranma had to pause, trying to figure out how to progress in this friendly break up... only to notice Hikaru looking rather giddy. Was she getting the wrong impression? Ranma had to get talking quickly.

“Uh... You’re a good gal, with so much potential and stuff. Y’know? And... I ain’t sure I’m helpin’ ya meet that,” Ranma continued.

“Pardon?” Hikaru asked, worry slipping into her big innocent eyes, and feeling like a punch to the gut to Ranma.

But the pain she’d experience if the news of just what Kasuga had been up to with Madoka would surely be so much worse.

“You deserve somebody bett-bet—more decisive than me,” Ranma explained, struggling to be too humble in all this. So it was better to bring up the issues they’d heard Kasuga had that they didn’t think applied to them. “I ain’t sure I can give ya the 100% support ya need.”

“W-what do you mean?” Hikaru asked, staring at Ranma with just a hint of tears glistening there.

Ranma shook their head and turned to the window. “I don’t know how to word this right, but... I’ve made a lotta dumb decisions, and one of these days you’re gonna get stuck on the bad end of ‘em. I don’t want you to have to deal with that.”

“I can handle that,” Hikaru stated, sounding determined.

“Maybe you can, but ya shouldn’t have to,” Ranma replied, a little more sharply than they intended. “You deserve somebody who ain’t gonna make your life harder than it needs to be.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself, darling,” Hikaru said, before starting to give a forced giggle. “You need to stop doing that.”

“I ain’t. I’ve just managed to hide the mistakes from you so far, but one of these days... I won’t be able to,” Ranma replied, standing up and walking over to put a hand on Hikaru’s shoulder. “You’ll find somebody better, don’t worry.”

* * *

Kyousuke had thought that being physically transformed would have just impacted aesthetics, but... he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was playing the part of the girl here. Ukyo had an arm wrapped around Kyousuke’s currently feminine shoulders, and was telling him about her day.

And yet, as weird as it felt, there was something about Ukyo that he liked... maybe it was just because he was such a sucker for cute girls, however they acted. Though he had to admit she had a nice voice, so maybe that was it. And she was just so casual too.

“Hey, what do you say was go grab some ice cream?” Ukyo asked with a large grin.

“Honestly, any food sounds good right now,” Kyousuke replied, still not sure why this version of him always felt so hungry. Was it the two forms of the curse?

“Excellent, it’ll be my treat of course,” Ukyo said, leading them towards the parlour. “Can’t make a cutie like you pay.”

Kyousuke’s eye twitched. Did this Ranma person like being treated so femininely? Kyousuke certainly knew he had his dignity as a man to think about.

“I can pay,” Kyousuke protested as they reached the parlour.

“We both know I have more money than you, don’t worry,” Ukyo replied, patting Kyousuke on the head.

“I can only handle being treated so girly,” Kyousuke grumbled, getting frustrated about having his head patted.

“You never mind me giving you free okonomiyaki though?”

“Th-that’s different!” Kyousuke protested. “A girl cooking food for her boyfriend isn’t weird, but when money gets involved a man should be the one to pay.”

Ukyo blinked, leaning down to place a hand on Kyousuke’s forehead. “Do you have a fever or somethin’, Ranma?”

“I-“ Kyousuke began.

“Kuonji! You thought you could trick Shampoo!? Well, you are the very wrong!” a Chinese accented voice shouted out, making both Kyousuke and Ukyo jump.

Chaos erupted moments later as chui clashed against spatual. Chairs and tables went flying as the two girls battled.

Kyousuke decided it was best to leave quickly and teleported himself onto the roof while the others were distracted. The roof was hot, and Kyousuke teleported once again to a small park he saw from the new vantage point. There he took a breather. The girls here were gorgeous, but... a little terrifying.

* * *

Ranma felt terrible as they walked back to the Kasuga home after the break up with Hikaru. They hadn’t known what more to say and so had just sort of hurried off, hoping that Yuusaku would return and be a shoulder for the poor girl to cry on. That would make everyone happy, right?

Ranma hoped so as they walked. They also hoped they’d wake up from all this soon. What more did they need to do to prove they’d learned their lesson? Ranma didn’t know. They really wished they could talk to Cologne. Or Doctor Tofu. Or... or... even Genma. Maybe pops was an idiot, but sometimes he managed to stumble upon the truth against his best efforts.

But there was nothing to greet Ranma besides the suburban streets of Setagaya. Was there another test they had to pass?

* * *

Dinner had been awkward, Akane and Nabiki both seemed to be studying Kyosuke the whole time. Afterwards, though, he was able to escape to spend time with Nodoka. While she was done shopping and was wanting to relax on the beach, that was still a good place to enjoy time with a maternal figure. The only issue was that Kyousuke found himself bright red after she’d encouraged him to travel down in female form and in a swimsuit, but he couldn’t argue that a teenage boy sunbathing with his mother would seem more unusual than a teenage girl doing so.

This other body felt so strange to him... not as strange as being a cat had, but, perhaps more unsettling for it’s closeness to being right.

“I have to admit, it is nice to have you spending time with me,” Nodoka said, as the pair had been enjoying the evening sun for a bit. “You were away for so many years and I missed out on so much. And these days you’re so busy with your friends and your fiancées... we almost never get to spend time together.”

Kyousuke smiled awkwardly. He felt a bit like a thief right now, but he wasn’t really sure how to get home, so why not enjoy it?

“I’m sorry I’ve not spent more time with you,” Kyousuke replied.

* * *

It was another early morning for Ranma as they ran through some quick, though intense, katas. Panting and sweating, they headed down to grab a quick shower before heading to the kitchen to help Manami with breakfast.

They’d hoped they’d awaken to their own life, but Ranma was going to make the best of it while they were here. And then, maybe, figure out something else to do to get back to their own life.


End file.
